The Long History of Master Planned Communities in the United States

September 1, 2017

If you’ve recently been thinking about moving to a new home, you might want to consider looking for a nice master planned community. These master planned communities are fantastic for any family or individual to move into, having been carefully outlined and constructed in a previously undeveloped area. Don’t worry about taxes, either. Taxes on new homes in these communities are much lower in the first 12 to 24 months than on a resale home.

There is a lot of history involved in the master planned community that you should know about as well.

History of Master Planned Communities in the U.S.

Planned communities have a long history on U.S. soil. Dating back to 1695, St. Augustine, Florida was the very first planned community in the United States. That’s 453 years of newer communities sprouting up across the country.

Though some of the earliest towns in the U.S. (with English-speaking Americans) like St. Augustine and Jamestown had minor elements of planned communities, Charles Town, South Carolina was the first comprehensively planned community in the United States.

Charles Town, which has since become Charleston, was founded in 1670 and planned two years later. The next wave of planned communities in the U.S. all followed the Charleston model and started to implement comprehensive community planning. Here are some of the cities that followed the formation of Jamestown in the 1600s and early 1700s.

Philadelphia — Founded in 1682.

Albany — Founded in 1695.

Williamsburg — Founded in 1699.

Annapolis — Founded in 1718.

New York City — Founded in 1731 and later redesigned and planned by the British.

Master planned communities in Florida have been around for centuries as well, but the early 1920s saw a Florida land boom. Many parts of Florida incorporated planned “themed” communities which were credited to reflect the architecture and culture deriving from Mexico, Arabia, and Spain.

Thanks to constant innovation and consolidation, master planned communities have only gotten more advanced over time. If you want to learn more about the benefits of living in a master planned community or check out excellent housing options in Florida, contact Connerton today.